DaVinci Resolve: the challenge of digitally grading 'Avatar'

Modern Videofilm used four Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolves to handle the enormous amount of color corrections and cross-room 3D elements that made James Cameron's latest blockbuster possible.

A total of four digital grading and 3D stereoscopy systems Da Vinci Resolve has been used by the Californian Modern Videofilm in James Cameron's latest blockbuster, Avatar. To handle a project of this size and complexity Modern Videofilm has developed a network of DaVinci Resolve systems connected via fiber optics. Three systems were installed at Modern Videofilm's headquarters in Glendale, California, and a fourth room was installed 85 kilometers away at the Fox studios.

By installing a grading room directly at the Fox studios, Modern Videofilm was able to handle the enormous amount of color corrections and 3D elements between rooms. Needs up to 120 color changes in a single EDL using hundreds of nodes and creating multiple versions for movie theaters around the world.

work in Avatar has been quite a challenge for the Modern Videofilm professionals (who have already worked on 21 grams, Gladiator o And your mom too), since James Cameron and his team knew exactly how they wanted each frame in a project as large and complex as this one.

Grant Petty, CEO of Blackmagic Design, highlighted that “with Avatar, Modern Videofilm has truly put the power and flexibility of DaVinci Resolve to the test and clearly demonstrated why it is the standard in high-end digital grading and stereoscopy.”